The SDGs and CSR strategies

As presented in table 2, the SDGs have been applied in most of the case companies.

Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, ONE, Evergreen, and HMM have used the SDGs in their CSR or sustainability reports. However, great variation in how the SDGs have been addressed can be identified in the reports. Maersk (2019a) has mentioned all the SDGs in its sustainability report and has categorized the goals to three different groups based on the level of impact the company has on the goals. They state that they have considered their positive and also negative impact on the goals: ‘‘We support and com-mit to contribute positively to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, while also reducing our potential negative impact on the goals’’ (Maersk, 2019a, p. 3). The goals that the company is seen to have the biggest impact on are addressed more spe-cifically in the report and actions regarding those goals are presented.

Moreover, the targets of the goals are presented in some cases. For example, one of the main sustainability goals of Maersk is to help decarbonize logistics by having net-zero CO2 emissions from their own operations by year 2050 (Maersk, 2019a, p.13). With that goal, Maersk is referring to SDG targets 7.3., ‘‘By 2030, double the global rate of improve-ment in energy efficiency’’ (United Nations, n.d. -i), and 13.1, ‘‘Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries’’

(United Nations, n.d. -o). The sustainability topics, their targets, progress, and the corre-sponding SDGs and their targets are clearly stated in the report, and a summary can be founded in the end of the report.

MSC is another company that has mentioned all SDGs in its sustainability report. The goals are mentioned throughout the report. First in general, then under the main CSR themes, which have been defined as ‘‘Social Inclusion’’, ‘‘Environment’’, ‘‘Occupational Health and Safety’’, and ‘‘Business Ethics and Protection of Human rights’’ (MSC, 2019a, p. 3). MSC has also categorized the goals for their three businesses: the shipping services, terminal operations, and logistics operations providing for example inland

transportation. In addition to the SDGs, some of their targets have been addressed. For example, MSC explains, how it contributes to target 1 of SDG 9:

Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including re-gional and trans-border infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all (United Nations, n.d. -k).

MSC tells, how it helps in developing infrastructures through its subsidiaries, TiL and MEDLOG, that provide terminal and logistics services. Through the subsidiaries, MSC contributes to the ‘‘modernisation and development of terminals as well as national, regional, and international freight corridors’’ (MSC, 2019a, p. 24).

CMA CGM is another case company that has addressed the UN SDGs in its CSR report.

The company explains that it has used the SDGs as a reflection tool to evaluate its CSR approach and how well it follows the UN program. Based on the evaluation, the SDGs are classified to six groups, that are defined as the main CSR pillars: ‘‘Ethics and compli-ance’’, ‘‘Value chain’’, ‘‘Social’’, ‘‘Safety & Security’’, ‘‘Environment’’ and ‘‘Societal’’ (CMA CGM, 2019, p. 16). The corresponding SDGs are presented in the introduction page of each respective chapter, and some of the main progress regarding the topics of the goals are presented (see CMA CGM, 2019). However, the SDGs are not referred to in more detail, but they are supposed to be prioritized in year 2019: ‘‘During 2019, the priority SDGs for the Group will be identified alongside the completion of the CSR risk assess-ment and the comparison with the CSR challenges’’ (CMA CGM, 2019, p. 16).

Whereas Maersk, MSC, and CMA CGM have addressed all 17 SDGs in their reports, Hapag-Lloyd and Evergreen have used a more specified approach to the SDGs and cho-sen few main goals that are precho-sented in their reports. Hapag-Lloyd (2019) states, that the sustainability report of 2018 is the first one, where the SDGs have been addressed, and that it has chosen the most relevant goals for the company and presents the chosen goals in the beginning of each chapter. Moreover, a summary about the chosen SDGs and the pages in which they are referred to is presented in the report, which makes it easy for the reader to find the information about the chosen specific goals. Evergreen has mentioned eight SDGs in its sustainability report and explained briefly what kind of

actions or targets they have for them. For example, Evergreen is addressing specifically SDG 3 by explaining their corresponding actions for the goal:

We provide all employees with free physical examination and a strong emphasis is placed on shipboard health. Comprehensive medical facilities are in place and 24-hour medical advice is provided by the dispensary to improve employees’

health management ability (Evergreen Marine Corp, 2019, p. 46).

However, the process of how the said goals are chosen and why is not explained in the report.

ONE has also mentioned the importance of the SDGs in the industry and presented the goals generally in the introduction part of its sustainability report but none of the goals are addressed more specifically later in the report, so the approach is very general. Thus, the SDGs are not yet assessed by the company, since they state that they ‘‘will explore the possibility of mapping our business efforts to the SDGs in the coming years’’ (ONE, 2019, p.12). HMM has also addressed all the SDGs in the introduction part of its sustain-ability report and refers to few goals briefly in the end of the report, but the goals are not really applied in the other parts of the report (HMM, 2019). COSCO Shipping Lines mentions Sustainable Development Goals in its sustainability report, but it is not clear, whether they refer to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals or not (COSCO Shipping Lines, 2019). Yang Ming and PIL have not addressed the SDGs at all in their reports or websites (PIL, 2016b; Yang Ming, 2019).

Thus, already in the general glance differences in the application of the SDGs can be observed. Moreover, the ways in which the companies have chosen the SDGs are differ-ent. Some companies, such as Maersk, have first defined their CSR strategy and then placed the different SDGs to the different parts of their strategy according to how big an impact the company can have on each of the goals. For example, Maersk (2019a, p. 6) has assessed that it can have the most positive impact on goals such as ‘‘climate action’’,

‘’responsible consumption and production’’, and ‘‘decent work and economic growth’’.

Goals for which the company has identified to have potential positive impact are ‘‘gen-der equality’’ and ‘‘affordable and clean energy’’, for example. Lastly, some of the goals for which the company is committing to reduce their negative impact on are ‘‘life below

water’’ and ‘‘good health and well-being’’. Maersk has defined three dimensions of ma-teriality: ‘’responsibility’’, ‘‘risk’’, and ‘‘shared value’’, under which it has categorized dif-ferent sustainability issues and thus also the SDGs (Maersk, 2019a, p. 8).

Other companies, such as Hapag-Lloyd, CMA CGM and Evergreen, have identified their biggest sustainability and CSR issues by identifying and placing them to a materiality ma-trix. These companies have involved different stakeholders in their risk assessment pro-cess. By the results, they key issues were identified and placed on the materiality matrix based on their impact to the company and to the shareholders. The CSR strategies were then based on the materiality matrix. In addition, they have categorized the SDGs under the specific sustainability issues presented in the reports. MSC (2019a) mentions, that they had analyzed the SDGs by different committees, who had evaluated for which goals the company has direct or indirect impact on and based their CSR strategy on those con-siderations inside the company. Hapag-Lloyd (2019) states that the company had ana-lyzed how its competitors and companies operating on other industries had applied the SDGs and what kind of achievements they had for them and compared their own activi-ties with them. Resulting from the analysis the company chose to focus on the SDGs that it could have the biggest impact on.

In addition, HMM, COSCO Shipping Lines, ONE, and Yang Ming have used similar mate-riality matrixes, where the impact of the CSR and sustainability issues to the company and to the stakeholders was evaluated. However, the SDGs are not assessed or catego-rized with the identified issues. PIL is not presenting its specific CSR or sustainability strategy on its website, but the company states that it is ‘‘committed to goals that have long lasting effects on the organisation, stakeholders, society and the environment’’ (PIL, 2016b). The company tells on its website about its social and environmental considera-tions and acconsidera-tions, such as some examples about charitable work for social problems and the innovations and technologies that help the company to minimize its environmental impacts (PIL, 2016b).